Bahamas Cruise from Fort Lauderdale: Port Everglades Terminals, Private Islands and What to Bring

On a sailing day at Port Everglades, the ships stand along the waterfront like apartment blocks, and the line of rolling suitcases moves toward the terminal doors while gulls circle the funnels. For many Americans, this is where a Bahamas vacation begins, with Nassau, a private island or a sandy cay waiting at the other end of the sea. Cruises to the Bahamas leave Fort Lauderdale from several terminals, and each line has its own corner of the port.

A cruise ship in the Bahamas · Illustration

Which Bahamas cruises leave from Fort Lauderdale?

Multiday cruises to the Bahamas leave from Port Everglades, the Fort Lauderdale port, and the port also runs a daily ferry service to the Bahamas. Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Disney each have their own terminals there, and the port is a busy one: it welcomed over 4.7 million cruise passengers in fiscal year 2025.

Ships come and go all week, so the useful question is which line you are sailing with, because that tells you which terminal you will be walking into. The table sets out the assignments.

Terminal	Allocated to
Terminal 2	Carnival Corporation (primarily)
Terminal 4	Disney Cruise Line (exclusively)
Terminal 18	Royal Caribbean Group (primarily)
Terminal 19	Carnival Corporation (primarily)
Terminal 21	Shared by Baleària and Carnival Corporation
Terminal 25	Royal Caribbean Group (primarily)
Terminal 26	Carnival Corporation (primarily)
Terminal 29	Shared by Royal Caribbean Group and Carnival Corporation

The big lines and the newer ships

Disney Cruise Line treats Port Everglades as its second year-round homeport, and Terminal 4 serves only Disney ships, with the Disney Magic homeported there. Families who sail Disney will find a terminal that belongs entirely to the line, so there is no mixing of crowds with other brands.

Royal Caribbean has a landmark here too: Legend of the Seas is the first Icon-Class ship to sail from Port Everglades. Terminal 25, which Royal Caribbean uses, was renovated with an investment of over $100 million, and it is also home to Celebrity’s Edge, Apex and Beyond.

Smaller and more unusual sailings

Not every ship is a floating resort. Orient Express Corinthian, a three-masted sailing yacht, is new this season at Port Everglades, and Crystal Symphony returns after a multi-million dollar refit. Those two suit travelers who prefer a quieter style of cruising to the large family ships.

The ferry as another way across

Baleària runs a high speed catamaran passenger ferry between Port Everglades and Bimini or Freeport, using the HSC Jaume II. It is not a cruise, but it is a way to reach the Bahamas from the same port, and it shares Terminal 21 with Carnival.

How do you get to the cruise terminal in Fort Lauderdale?

The simplest approach is to fly into Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), which sits right next to Port Everglades, so the ship is a short hop from the baggage claim. Many travelers who live farther away choose this route because the airport and the port are neighbors.

Arriving by air

Because FLL lies beside the port, a flight into Fort Lauderdale puts you close to the gangway without crossing the whole metro area. You collect your bags, head to the terminal your line uses and join the line at the entrance, with your cruise documents in hand.

If you land the day before, the Omni Fort Lauderdale Hotel is the only on-port accommodation at Port Everglades. It is the one place where you can wake up inside the port itself and watch the ships before you board.

Driving and being dropped off

If a friend or relative is collecting you after the cruise, they can wait in the free cell phone lot at Port Everglades until your party is ready for pickup. That spares them circling the terminals while you clear the building and find your luggage.

Before you reach the ship, there is a security checkpoint at the port. Cruisers must have their cruise documents and a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport, ready when they arrive there, so keep both within reach rather than packed in a suitcase.

The ferry terminal

Travelers heading to Bimini or Freeport on the Baleària catamaran use Terminal 21, the one it shares with Carnival. The ferry carries passengers on the HSC Jaume II, so the day looks quite different from a ship departure, with no cabins and a more direct crossing to the islands.

If you are sailing with Carnival from that same terminal, you will be sharing the building with ferry passengers. Check which of the two you are, and follow the signs for your own departure once inside.

Which Bahamian ports and private islands do they visit?

Ships from Fort Lauderdale reach a mix of Bahamian ports and cruise-line private islands, and each of the many ports of call in the Bahamas offers its own experiences for cruise passengers. Nassau is the best-known gateway, and the private islands belong to individual lines.

Nassau and Paradise Island

Nassau & Paradise Island are often considered the gateway to the Bahamas, and they consist of two islands: New Providence and Paradise Island. Paradise Island is connected to Nassau by a bridge across Nassau Harbour, so you can pass between the two on foot or by road. Nassau is a city on New Providence, which is home to 74.26% of the country’s population.

The city lies 180 miles east-southeast of Miami, which helped make it a long-standing vacation spot for Americans. Lynden Pindling International Airport serves the area, about 9.9 miles west of the city center.

The private islands

Several lines run their own island getaways. Perfect Day at CocoCay is the Royal Caribbean one, and its Up, Up & Away helium balloon asks riders to be at least 48 inches tall, while passengers aged three and younger ride free with an adult admission. Celebration Key is Carnival’s new exclusive destination on the south side of Grand Bahama, designed for Carnival guests, with a mile-long white sand beach.

Norwegian Cruise Line owns and operates Great Stirrup Cay in the Berry Islands for its passengers. Carnival Corporation also owns Half Moon Cay, which is Little San Salvador Island, about 100 miles southeast of Nassau, and uses it as a port of call.

MSC Cruises has Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, a redeveloped island in the Bimini district, 20 miles south of Bimini proper. Each of these places is tied to one line, so which island you visit depends on the ship you book.

What do you need to board?

You need your cruise documents and a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport, for the security checkpoint at Port Everglades, and a travel document that works for the Bahamas and for coming home.

Documents for U.S. citizens

Those traveling to the Bahamas on a cruise may use another Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) compliant document, such as a U.S. passport card. Still, the State Department strongly recommends a passport, in case an emergency forces you to disembark and return by air.

Air travel is stricter. U.S. citizens entering the United States by air must present a valid U.S. passport, a Trusted Traveler Program card (NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST), a U.S. Military identification card when traveling on official orders, or a U.S. Merchant Mariner document when traveling in conjunction with official maritime business. Children must present their own passport by air, and lawful permanent residents present a valid Permanent Resident Card instead of a passport.

The Bahamian visa rule

Travelers of any nationality who would normally need a visa for the Bahamas must also get a Bahamian visa if they arrive by cruise ship. The same applies to anyone who flies in to join a cruise ship traveling through the Bahamas.

This matters most for friends or relatives who are not U.S. citizens and are sailing with you. Each of them should look at whether their own nationality normally requires a visa for the Bahamas before the trip, because the cruise route does not remove that requirement.

Good to know before you go

The U.S. State Department rates the Bahamas Level 2, “Exercise increased caution”, and says most crime occurs in Nassau on New Providence and in Freeport on Grand Bahama.

Sailing season overlaps the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, so the weather at that time of year is part of what you are choosing when you pick a date. Most days at sea and in port are spent on the water and on the sand, and the ship handles much of the day-to-day. Keep your photo ID and cruise papers together in a small bag you carry yourself, since the checkpoint is the first thing you meet at the port.

Sources

Wikipedia, Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Everglades), checked October 10, 2026
Port Everglades, cruise (https://www.porteverglades.net/cruise/), checked October 10, 2026
Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Getting here by cruise (https://www.bahamas.com/getting-here/cruise), checked October 10, 2026
Wikipedia, Nassau (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nassau,_Bahamas), checked October 10, 2026
Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Nassau and Paradise Island (https://www.bahamas.com/islands/nassau-paradise-island), checked October 10, 2026
Royal Caribbean, Perfect Day at CocoCay (https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-destinations/perfect-day-at-cococay), checked October 10, 2026
Carnival Cruise Line, Celebration Key (https://www.carnival.com/celebration-key), checked October 10, 2026
U.S. Department of State, The Bahamas Travel Information, Entry and exit requirements (https://travel.state.gov/), checked October 10, 2026
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative), checked October 10, 2026
Wikipedia, Great Stirrup Cay (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Stirrup_Cay), checked October 10, 2026
Wikipedia, Half Moon Cay (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_Moon_Cay), checked October 10, 2026
Wikipedia, Ocean Cay (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_Cay), checked October 10, 2026
U.S. Department of State, The Bahamas Travel Advisory, Level 2 (https://travel.state.gov/), checked October 10, 2026
NOAA National Hurricane Center, Climatology (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/), checked October 10, 2026